Awakened Read Free Page B

Ana had infiltrated the Crossing and been forced to kill her own sister, a turned vampire gone wrong.
    God, sometimes Barrett couldn’t believe this was actually her life.
    “She’s doing well. Ty says another month and they should be ready to join us again.”
    That was good, Barrett thought. She was glad Ana had Ty to help her through whatever hell she was going through.
    The four female agents of Belladonna—Ana, Barrett, Justine, and Collette—had been strangers before their recruitment, linked unknowingly to each other by a single tragic day and the vagaries of fate.
    Seven years ago, Barrett had lost her older brother, Noah, when a gang shoot-out had started outside the ice cream shop they’d been visiting. He’d wanted to go straight home after the movie they’d seen, but no, Barrett had insisted on stopping for dessert. He’d suffered a heart attack and because of the gang activity outside, the ambulance hadn’t gotten to Noah in time to save him. Logically, Barrett knew Noah’s death wasn’t her fault any more than what had happened to Jane was. But emotionally …
    Barrett rarely let herself care too much about others. Whenever she had, she’d suffered. Noah. Sarah. Nick. Now Jane.
    No, it was far better to keep herself distant, because when she failed, when she couldn’t protect what was hers to protect …
    An unseen vise gripped her heart and Barrett automatically winced even as she laid her palm against her chest.
    The pain of losing Noah had never gone away. She’d just gotten good at pretending it wasn’t there. If she failed to save Jane, how much harder would the pain be to bear? What would stop her from collapsing under its weight completely?
    But she wasn’t the only one who’d suffered tragedy, she reminded herself. In fact, it was for that very reason that Carly had brought Barrett and the other female agents together. Justine’s mother had died. Collette was dealing with some mysterious illness that could very well kill her. And Ana? Ana’s bad luck had started the day she’d been born to a prostitute mother and had continued well after she’d been forced to join a gang to survive. Ana had been smack dab in the middle of the gang shoot-out that had contributed to Noah’s death, and afterward she’d spent two years in prison only to subsequently lose her sister, the last close relative she had. She deserved some happiness and, despite the violent event that had turned Ana into a vampire, Barrett had no doubt Ty Duncan would provide it. Who knew, maybe the rest of them would find some happiness, as well. As for her? Barrett thought once again of Nick …
    Of everyone who had brought her joy in her life only to leave her far too soon.
    Then she remembered Jane and instantly stopped feeling sorry for herself.
    “Nick,” Barrett prompted. “How—?”
    “You told us about him,” Carly reminded her. “In your intake interview. You were lovers as well as fellow soldiers. And, I believe you parted on good terms after you were discharged?”
    Good terms? On the surface, yes. They’d been fuck buddies. She’d encouraged the term even though she’d known he was far more than that to her—and they’d moved on after Barrett had returned to the States. Farewell and no hard feelings. At least, she’d played her part to make it seem so. But it had taken everything she’d had to walk away from him, and afterward, when she’d allowed herself to think of him, she’d missed him more than she’d ever thought possible. So much so that her heart ached just at the sound of his name.
    “Yes, you could say that. So?” she forced herself to respond.
    “Mahone remembered seeing his name when he reviewed your files. When Peter’s attempts to track down the SexFlash URL got nowhere, Mahone figured you having a special relationship with a techno wiz might come in handy. He went searching for him … and unwittingly found a gold mine.”
    “What do you mean?” Barrett asked. She’d